![\"imperial](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/imperial-crepe.jpg\")
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Emerson once quipped \u201ca foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.\u201d He may be right, but I think consistency is the mark of an excellent restaurant. How many times have you had a great meal some place only to go back for a second time and find that the food is not as good as you remember?<\/p>\n
![\"green](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/green-beans.jpg\")
Putting out good food consistently \u2013 day after day, at lunch or dinner \u2013 is an incredibly difficult task. One that few restaurants can muster.<\/p>\n
Benley is up to the task every time. And has been doing this for years. I have never been disappointed in the food and I have been there more times that I can count \u2013 at lunch and dinner, when it\u2019s crazy busy and when I am the only person there. Some things change, but the food at Benley is consistently good.<\/p>\n
Benley is a Vietnamese inspired restaurant with the most of the traditional dishes you\u2019d expect \u2013 pho, bahn mi (lunch only) and bun \u2013 and all are very good. Pho at Benley offers a smaller selection of ingredients but than most Vietnamese restaurants, but the options they do offer are delicious and feature a rich and delicious broth. Same with bun \u2013 few options but those there are delicious. There is nothing better for lunch on a hot day.<\/p>\n
![\"spring](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/spring-rolls.jpg\")
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On my most recent visit, I had a dish that I have never seen at another Vietnamese restaurant \u2013 an Imperial Crepe. Made with rice flour, vegetables, shrimp and cuttlefish (land lovers can opt for chicken, pork or beef) the crepe resembled a giant omelet but had the texture of a light pastry. When wrapped in lettuce and mint leaves and dipped in a spicy, sweet sauce, it was a marvelous combination of flavors and textures. Did I mention the deep fried green beans? My favorite appetizer and it is a green vegetable too!<\/p>\n
Benley also offers some traditional sounding dishes \u2013 like pork chops and fried chicken \u2013 which are truly special and different because of the non-traditional Vietnamese spices and preparations. Most people would not recognize the fried chicken at Benley \u2013 it is actually a half-chicken, marinated in Vietnamese spices and slow roasted until tender and then flash fried before served to make it crispy. Served with fresh salad and rice, it is a tender and delicious meal. The meat is succulent in the way only slow cooking can achieve \u2013 but with crunchy skin, and a spicy and sweet kick.<\/p>\n
There is a small but delicious dessert menu and a limited selection of beer and wine but most people should be able to find something to satisfy their sweet tooth or to drink with their meals.<\/p>\n
While service can be imperfect when Benley is busy, the consistently high quality of their food is more than enough to keep me coming back for more.<\/p>\n
Benley: A Vietnamese Kitchen
8191 E Wardlow Rd
Long Beach, CA 90808
(562) 596-8130<\/p>\n
Open for dinner Monday; Lunch and Dinner Tuesday \u2013 Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
![\"imperial](\"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/imperial-crepe.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Emerson once quipped \u201ca foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.\u201d He may be right, but I think consistency is the mark of an excellent restaurant. How many times have you had a great meal some place only to go back for a second time and find that the food is not as good as you remember?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":69639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-4515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4515"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=4515"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}